Ask about families: possessives 'mein', 'dein', 'sein', 'ihr' (nominative) | German

Starter quiz

Match the German and English.
- Hund (m)
  
  ⇔
  
  dog ✓
- Katze (f)
  
  ⇔
  
  cat ✓
- Sprache (f)
  
  ⇔
  
  language ✓
- sprechen
  
  ⇔
  
  to speak, speaking ✓
- Geschwister (pl)
  
  ⇔
  
  siblings, brothers and sisters ✓
- Eltern (pl)
  
  ⇔
  
  parents ✓
Match each word to its category.
- machen (to do, make)
  
  ⇔
  
  verb ✓
- interessant (interesting)
  
  ⇔
  
  adjective ✓
- zuerst (firstly)
  
  ⇔
  
  adverb ✓
- Schwester (f) (sister)
  
  ⇔
  
  noun ✓
- mein (my)
  
  ⇔
  
  possessive adjective ✓
- Wann? (When?)
  
  ⇔
  
  question word ✓
What is a closed question?
- a question which can be answered with yes or no ✓
- a question which seeks more information than a simple yes or no
- a question that begins with a question word
- a 'do you ... ?' or 'are you ... ?' question ✓
Which of these words are the odd ones out in terms of their sounds?
- langweilig
- dreizehn
- schließlich ✓
- dein
- hier ✓
Translate the following sentence into English: 'Wie heißt deine Schwester?'
- 'What is your sister called?' ✓
Fill in the gap in the following sentence with the correct word for 'his': '______ Kind spielt im Garten.'
- 'Sein' ✓

Exit quiz

Match the German and English.
- seine Mutter
  
  ⇔
  
  his mother ✓
- mein Vater
  
  ⇔
  
  my father ✓
- ihre Geschwister
  
  ⇔
  
  her siblings ✓
- deine Schwester
  
  ⇔
  
  your sister ✓
- mein Bruder
  
  ⇔
  
  my brother ✓
- ihre Mutter
  
  ⇔
  
  her mother ✓
Which sound does [ei] correspond to in English?
- 'eye' as in 'eyes' ✓
- 'ee' as in 'three'
- 'i' as in 'bit'
- 'a' as in 'made'
- 'e' as in 'tea'
Put the words in the correct order to form an open question.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  was
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  ist
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  dein
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  Lieblingsfilm
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  ?
What is the correct translation of 'her favourite animal'?
- mein Lieblingstier
- dein Lieblingstier
- sein Lieblingstier
- ihr Lieblingstier ✓
Translate the following sentence into German: 'My favourite colour is white.'
- 'Meine Lieblingsfarbe ist weiß.' ✓
Translate the following sentence into German: 'Her favourite day is Monday.'
- 'Ihr Lieblingstag ist Montag.' ✓

Worksheet

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

[ei] is pronounced as in 'frei', like English 'eye'. [ie] is pronounced as in 'Liebe', like English 'ee'.
Possessive adjectives show who possesses something: ‘mein’ (my), ‘dein’ (your), ‘ihr’ (her), ‘sein’ (his).
Possessive adjectives agree with the noun they are describing, i.e., they need to be the same gender.
Form closed questions by inverting the subject and verb in a statement. Add a question word before for an open question.
Add the prefix 'Lieblings-' to a noun to mean 'favourite'; for example, ‘mein Lieblingsobst’.

Common misconception

Don't change the possessive pronoun used in a question when you give your answer.

If a question is addressed to you (i.e., uses a form of 'dein', as in 'Was ist dein Lieblingssport?'), respond with the correct form of 'mein' in the answer.

Keywords

[ei] - pronounced as in 'frei'
[ie] - pronounced as in 'Liebe'
Possessive adjective - a word used to show who something belongs to, e.g., 'my'
Open question - a question starting with a wh- word that seeks more information than just yes or no
Closed question - a question that can be answered with yes or no